An Adventure in Ministry

We started our day by reading Psalm 103 on our way to the mountain where it is believed Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. What a psalm full of truth and power. As we travelled along, I prayed that as I was blessed by God, I may also bless and praise my saviour. We arrived at the mount of Beatitudes, and with the heat already setting in, we found shade to read from Matthew 5. Eric explained how ‘the word’ was a master of the word and he attracted crowds wherever he went. As I sat in the beauty of the gardens of the church I could hear a symphony of birds singing. The music could rival the most talented band or singing group! As I listened, I was reminded of Matthew 6:26 spoken at possibly this very place and I imagined Jesus at this actual place looking at the birds. Of all the places I have visited so far, however, I struggled a little with this one. It wasn’t as I had imagined, a place once simple, had become so complicated and ornate. BUT  ...

After our visit to Caesarea, we moved onto Mount Carmel, a possible place where Elijah went head to head with the prophets of Baal and called fire from heaven down. It was a stunning place. There was a beautiful garden of peace and tranquillity and as we stopped in a quiet part of the gardens, I heard an Indian priest address a group of pilgrims. He called them to rise up and follow the God, who in that place, sent fire down from heaven. He called them to be true disciples of Jesus. At this my heart stirred, and I had to stop myself from shouting AMEN! As the group moved on and our guides spoke to us, they read from 1 Kings 18 and reminded us of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. They also shared from James 5:16 “16  Therefore confess your sins  to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.   The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ” As we sat in the place where God so miraculously answered Elijah’...

This morning after a beautiful breakfast we left Tel Aviv and headed to Caesarea. Here we saw an ancient town including a Roman theater and a hippodrome where horses raced and eventually gladiators fought. As we sat in the seats of the amphitheater we read from acts 10. We considered Cornelius, the roman centurion, from Caesarea, who was the first gentile to become a Christian. We considered the legacy of this one man’s faith and I was challenged to ponder what legacy my faith will leave. Caesarea was stunningly beautiful. The sea so blue, the sun so hot and the remains so striking. In this place of such beauty we paused to consider the nature of Roman occupation and what that meant for the early Christians. We thought about the counter-cultural message of Jesus and the fact Jesus calls us to still be radical and counter-cultural with his message of love.   I was also fascinated by the archaeological evidence of the excavations found along our walk. ...

We have arrived! After a broken suitcase, no gluten free food on the plane, an hour delay on the tarmac and a huuuuge queue to get through passport control, we are finally in Israel!!  There is a group of 30 of us and it is a real mix of people of different ages, accents and outlooks. At our first group meeting, our leaders, Helen and Eric introduced us to the week ahead…it was a goosebumps moment! Eric also opened the scripture to us. He read John 12:21  “They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”” ‭‭This is most certainly my prayer this week. That in all the bustle and business, that despite the heat and tiredness, that regardless of any circumstances In it all I would like to see Jesus I want him to knock me off my feet. I want fresh revelation. I want to be changed this week from glory to glory! As I write, these words are playing over in my head. This week, t...

As some of you know, recently I embarked on a pilgrimage to Israel. Whilst there I kept a journal and thought I would share some of my thoughts here. 10th May 2017 Today I began my pilgrimage to Israel. Paul and I decided to book this trip in memory of his mother Jean. For me, this is a trip I have wanted to make for many years and I have been preparing for this for months. However, as I sit in my hotel room at Heathrow, I wonder if I have really prepared spiritually as well as I should have? You see, my life as a minister means long days, an endlessly busy mind and a servant’s heart which gives an awful lot. I love my full time ministry in The Salvation Army. I have found the sweet place of sitting in God’s will, but always being pushed forward and closer to him. After a pretty tiring and difficult drive from Wale, I am now feeling pretty exhausted and overwhelmed. These verses are resounding in my head as I seek rest. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? C...